Author Archives: Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Will Obama’s Healthcare Plan Make Us a Nation of Girlie Men? Part 1

Posted on Thursday - April 1, 2010 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Our governor here in California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, once famously used the phrase, “Don’t be girlie men!”  This phrase actually comes from a comedy show called Saturday Night Live, on which two actors played bodybuilders (people who try to make their … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 19 Comments

Erin Go Bragh!

Posted on Wednesday - March 17, 2010 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Today is one of the most important celebrations in the country of Ireland, and for those of us who are Irish-American (or Irish-Anything): St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th.  St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, a Roman Scot (from … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 24 Comments

Headlines: Health Care Bill

Posted on Thursday - March 4, 2010 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Last year I experimented with the idea of taking a news headline (the title of a newspaper story) and explaining both the words of the headline and the background of the story.  Today I’ll give it another try, this time … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 23 Comments

Sorry, Vancouver

Posted on Friday - February 12, 2010 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Just wanted to write you all a quick note to announce that, contrary to (the opposite of) what some of you may be thinking, I will not – repeat, not – be participating in the 2010 Olympic Games that begin … Continue reading →

Posted in Jokes and Humor, News and Current Events | 13 Comments

The More (Money), the Merrier

Posted on Thursday - January 28, 2010 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

There’s an old expression in English, “The more, the merrier.” Merry is an old-fashioned word that means to be happy, as in “Merry Christmas.”  “The more, the merrier” means the more people you have, say, at a party, the happier … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 30 Comments

Undergraduates Under Water

Posted on Thursday - January 21, 2010 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Most universities require their students to pass (complete successfully) certain courses (classes) in order to graduate. Usually, these are what we call general education classes, classes on topics that the university thinks everyone should know about to be considered an … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 21 Comments

Guest Blogger Warren Ediger

Posted on Thursday - January 14, 2010 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Today we have a guest blogger, Warren Ediger. You can read his explanation of 2009 buzzwords in the next post.  (What’s a buzzword, you ask?  Read Warren’s post to find out!) Warren will be writing posts every now and then … Continue reading →

Posted in About ESL Podcast | 24 Comments

The Case of the Missing Criminals

Posted on Thursday - January 7, 2010 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

When I moved to Los Angeles back in the early 1990s, it was one of the most dangerous cities in the United States.  One year, there were more than 1,000 homicides (murders) in the city of Los Angeles itself.  Even … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States, News and Current Events | 28 Comments

Finally, the End of the Whatchamacallit Decade

Posted on Thursday - December 31, 2009 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

I was born in what we sometimes refer to in English as the sixties, that is, the 1960s. I went to grade (elementary) school and high school in the seventies, went to college in the eighties, and worked and went … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 35 Comments

Jeff’s Favorite Christmas Carol

Posted on Thursday - December 24, 2009 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Lucy shared with you her favorite Christmas carol (song) on Tuesday, so I thought I would talk about my favorite one today, on Christmas Eve (eve is short for evening, but here means really the day before Christmas, December 24th).  … Continue reading →

Posted in Karaoke English | 29 Comments